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WWF Started Expedition to Dvinsko-Pinezhsky Forest

02 august 2018

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Today WWF started its expedition to explore the part of planned Dvinsko-Pinezhsky Forest Landscape Reserve.

Scientists will examine
those parts of the planned reserve that weren’t investigated earlier. Results
of this field trip will complete the integrated ecological surveys’ materials that
are required for granting protected area (PA) status to unique intact taiga
forest landscape.

Expedition consists of
scientists, botanists, zoologists, forest experts from Arkhangelsk and
Saint-Petersburg. They will inspect intact forest landscape with an area of 30 000
ha in Vyisky forest district in Verkhnetoemsky district of Arkhangelsk Region.

“This territory is a typical intact dark coniferous taiga. Rare large predatory birds like white-tailed eagle, golden eagle, eagle-owl, and others prefer to settle in those wild intact forests remote from infrastructure and roads. Many rare plants like northern orchids grow there. Conservation of these intact forests is important for providing taiga habitats continuity, species and gene migration, preservation of typical taiga biodiversity and landscapes,” says the expedition leader and WWF expert Natalia Burova, associate Professor of ecology, biology and biotechnology, candidate of agricultural Sciences of Northern (Arctic) Federal University (NAFU).

During the expedition
experts will do integrated survey including flora and fauna description, research
of sanitary and forest pathology state of forest, i.e. collection data on stand
condition, pests invasion, forest diseases, rare species and unique objects with
high conservation value.

Territory of future reserve

(c) Andrey Shchegolev, WWF-Russia

It’s to be recalled that
in April 2018 the agreement on borders of future Dvinsko-Pinezhsky Reserve was
signed by forest companies leasing this forest area, WWF-Russia and Greenpeace
Russia. Agreement on borders was achieved as a result of long-term and
stressful negotiations between forest business and environmental organizations.
As a consequence, the area of the planned PA was reduced from 480 000 to 302 000
ha. In addition to the above several forest sites that haven’t been surveyed before
were added to the agreed territory of the reserve.

Due to the plan of the
reserve creation that was approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Timber Industry Complex of the Arkhangelsk Region, after the additional
field study the results of integrated ecological survey of the territory will
be prepared and used to prove PA status and validate PA project. Then survey
materials and PA project will go to public hearings, State Environmental Review
and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation
for approval.